Daryl was sitting outside his house a week after the incident with Ania and the satellite station. He'd managed to fix the bike up, but as he was putting the finishing touches, he noticed a bag that was attached where his own once hung. Grabbing it off his bike, he opened it up only to find another wooden soldier, carved and painted, a reminder of the time he tried to help someone only for it to bite him in the ass. And then, when he finally knew he was going to be a father, Ania was snatched away and threatened by the people they'd fought so hard against. People who'd been out on a run and just got lucky they weren't in the station when their group rolled through. People who, at least according to Ania, wouldn't have been able to take them if Carol hadn't missed her shot. The problem was that Carol had become a great shot; if she missed it was a lot like Ani with her knives. If she truly missed her shot, it was intentional. That meant that the woman was slipping again, which meant she might take risks and chances with the group again. The woman was still a close friend to both of them, but he didn't know if he could handle her taking risks like that if it involved Ania. He was so lost in his own little world that he didn't hear the front screen open or close, let alone her light footsteps as Ani joined him on the steps. She just sat down and watched him as he threw the soldier off to the side and returned to whatever he was doing with his bike when Carol walked up.

"I didn't even notice," she said, coming up and sitting beside Ani. "You got your bike back."

"Yeah," Daryl said, noticing Ania sitting there and motioning with his head for her to scoot over so he could sit between the two seeing as Carol was smoking. "You got another one of those?" he asked her, making sure the wind wasn't blowing towards Ania before sparking up the proffered stick.

"I can' believe ya still got that damn thing," Ania mentioned, noticing he still had the zippo she'd given him.

"Of course I still have it," he said, grabbing her hand and giving it a kiss before turning to look at the bike again.

"Those people you met," Carol began. "The ones from the burnt forest, they took it from you?"

"Yeah."

"You saved them, right?"

"Yeah. Figured it's what Ania would do," he answered honestly, looking over at his wife who just smiled at him.

"Ya did the right thing, even if they took it for granted," she told him, leaning against his shoulder as she listened to them talk.

"Sorry it worked out that way," Carol told him. "It's who you are. We're still stuck with that."

"No, we ain't," he countered. "I should've killed 'em."

"Hindsight is twenny twenny," Ani said. "I should a stayed with ya at the quarry. They'd a been dead from the get go if I had. Instead I came back 'ere, where me hands were tied. Ya right that I would a tried ta help 'em. But they'd a been dead the minute they betrayed ya."

She stayed leaning against him as his hand tightened around hers, neither of them noticing how distressed Carol became at their words. Carol couldn't accept that they both were so used to the killing, so used to the idea of it, that they were ready to give up on people just like that. Even Sophia had killed and had little qualms about it in the end, simply saying she wasn't like other kids her age. Carol had killed because she'd needed to, but she couldn't handle it any more. Every time she was around the people she loved, she was forced to kill someone to keep them safe and every time she closed her eyes lately, she had been forced to relive those moment over and over again. Dropping the cigarettes beside Daryl, she got up and walked away without another word, leaving both Daryl and Ani confused.

"Hey," he called, picking up the smokes and looking back at Carol. "The ones that took you guys...What'd they do to you?" he asked, Ani having told him that she wasn't always in the room with Carol.

"To us?" Carol asked. "They didn't do anything," was all she said before she turned and walked away.

"Told ya they didn' do anythin' ta us."

"Yeah, well, I had to make sure. Nothin' to you ain't always nothin'," Daryl said, thinking about all the times she'd been told over the last month to take a test for her to just write it off, or when she had been sick and claimed it was allergies.

"Evidence certainly points in that direction, huh?"

"Yeah it does," he said, sighing as he snuffed out the cigarette before pulling her over to him to sit on his leg. "Gotta test this thing. Safe for you to come, right?"

"I think so," she told him. "I mean, I don' see why I can' ride with ya 'til me tummy is too big ta ride."

"Alright, go get somethin' warmer on," Daryl told her, kissing her bare shoulder before helping her stand from his knee. "Don't need you gettin' sick."

"Be back out in a few," Ani told him before leaning down and capturing his lips, a sappy smile playing on her face when she straightened up.

Going into the house and up to their room, she noticed Sophia sitting in her room looking through the pictures she had. She'd learned that Carl had been asking her about the future and what her plans were, forcing her to admit that she liked him, although not necessarily to Carl. Sophia had spent the last two days avoiding Carl like the plague which left him to hang out with Enid. And because of that, Sophia had taken to sulking around the house and hiding away in her room under the pretense of not feeling good any time Carl came by to ask if he could talk to her. It was almost as frustrating as it was cute to watch the two of them tiptoe around the truth. That was a problem she would deal with when she got back, though. Ani really just wanted to go on a ride with Daryl as she grabbed her jacket and headed back to his side. When she got outside, however, she found both Rosita and Denise standing and talking to the man in question.

"After I got out of DC," she heard Denise say as she walked up and wrapped her arms around Daryl's middle, one of his arms wrapping around her and pressing her to his side. "I just drove. I remember seeing it right when I realized I had no idea where I was going. Edison's Apothecary and Boutique. It's just this little gift shop in a strip mall, but if it's really an apothecary-"

"It'll have meds!" Ani said excitedly, realization dawning on her face as she smiled at Denise. "I totally forgot 'bout it with everythin' that happened! Denny, ya are fuckin' brilliant!"

"How do you know they still got 'em?" Daryl asked, moving over to the bike and a little bit away from Ani as he looked at the two.

"It isn't that far. I just wanna check. Ani and I were planning on doing it before we found out about Hilltop, anyway."

"You were gonna go out just the two of you?" Rosita asked Ani, looking like she was talking to an idiot rather than, well, Ani.

"Nah, I was gonna take D, too. Maybe Phia if she was up for it. Wasn' gonna be stupid as ta take a non-combatant by 'erself or meself. I try not ta make dumb mistakes like that and ya know it."

"Why didn't you talk to me about it?" Daryl asked.

"We hadn' made any concrete plans yet, and ya know damn well I had nothin' ta do with this comin' up taday seein' as I've been glued ta ya all week. Not like I could a had anythin' ta do with this, 'specially since I forgot all 'bout it. Denny must have 'er reasons for wantin' ta go out and if it's somethin' she can do, it'll be fine for me ta go with ya too. 'Sides, it's an easy run far as we know. Still ain' gettin' a lot a walkas up 'ere."

"Look, you and Rosita aren't out scavenging or pulling shifts, so I thought you'd help me," Denise said.

"We'll go," Daryl told her, pointing to him and Rosita. "You two stay here."

"I wanted to check," Denise told him. "I just wanted to help."

"And if Denny's goin', I'm goin'," Ani told him. "I mean, if it's easy 'nough a run for 'er ta go, I don' see why I can'. 'Sides, I already told ya I wanted ta go out with Abe and Gene lata anyway. So I can go with ya or I can go with them. Up ta ya."

"How much time you spent out there?" Daryl asked Denise.

"None," Denise admitted.

"Forget it," he told her, not believing she would actually propose such nonsense or that Ania would go along with it.

"I can ID the meds. I know how to use a machete now," Denise reasoned. "I've seen roamers up close. I'm ready."

"You good with this?" Daryl asked Rosita, knowing asking Ania was useless.

"Hell no," came his reply.

"I'll go alone if I have to," Denise told them.

"Ya won' have ta. I'll go with ya if it comes down ta it. Abe and Gene were headin' towards the area anyways, so we could go with 'em 'til their stop and pip ova for the meds once they're done," Ani told her.

"You'll die by yourselves," Daryl told them, turning to Ania and grabbing her, as if holding her in his arms could make her stay where he told her to.

"I'm asking you to make sure I don't," Denise replied.

"Baby, it's an easy trip, there and back. Ain' nothin' gonna happen on it. I promise. Please?" Ania asked, wrapping her arms around his neck as she looked up at him with her emerald orbs.

Daryl looked down at her contemplating before looking up at Rosita, who looked insulted as she said, "I'm not babysitting them by myself."

Ani scoffed and rolled her eyes, throwing back at Rosita, "Only thing needin' babysat is ya ego."

"Look, it really is just there and back. There haven't been a lot of walkers since the incident with the wall and we need the medicine. Especially for Ani and Maggie. Ani and I can go by ourselves," Denise told them. "But I wanted the two of you to come with us because you have nothing else to do and I didn't want to be out there with Ani alone. No offense, Ani, but you are pregnant."

"None taken," Ani sighed, not offended but not liking how people were walking on egg shells around her either.

"If we go, you stay with us at all times, and you do what we say," Daryl told her, realizing that both women were determined to make this run no matter what he said.

"I can agree to that," Denise told him.

"Go get your shit," he sighed, resigning himself to the trip even as he grumbled about it.

"I'll be ready in five," Denise said before walking away.

"Are we really going to do this just because she wants to go?" Rosita asked him, gesturing to Ani who was standing in his arms practically beaming at him until she'd spoken.

"I don' gotta go," Ani told her, turning her head to send the woman a glare; they might tolerate each other, but they just couldn't get along. "I was plannin' on goin' with Abe and Gene lata in the day when they got off patrol and guard duty. I jus' figya'd ya'd want me with ya instead," she said, looking up at Daryl again.

"Hell naw, you're goin' with me," Daryl told her, tightening his hold on her. "And you're takin' the twins."

"There's not enough room in the truck," Rosita said.

"I don' mind ridin' in the back. Not like it'd be the first time I've done it since this all started and the twins can ride with me."

"You sure, baby girl?"

"Positive. I'll jus' lay down in the truck bed and get some rest. Ya know the cats'll do the same."

"Alright," he said, leaning down to kiss her as Rosita scoffed and walked off.

"I'll stick ta ya like glue, won' leave ya sight," Ani told him when he broke the kiss. "I know ya not happy I'm goin', but it really is an easy run. 'Fore we found out, we were gonna go, me and Denny. Figya'd ya'd come too. I guess Rosita comin' ain' that bad a thing."

"You sure you'll be fine in the back of the truck?"

"Ya sure ya can drive it without makin' me puke?"

"Don't start," Daryl said with a smile.

"I ain' sayin' shite, but ya make me puke, ya gonna be ridin' in the back while I drive," she laughed before they both let go of each other and went to get their gear.

Daryl pulled her under his arm as they walked over to the infirmary to pick up Denise and then over to the truck where Rosita was waiting. He kissed Ani again as he helped her up into the back of the truck before she climbed back towards the cab while the twins hopped up before he closed the tailgate and told her to hang on. She couldn't help the smile that crossed her face as she turned her face away from where Denise and Rosita were standing. Ani couldn't help the fact that she knew what they were in store for since Daryl didn't actually know how to drive a shift. His masculine pride, though, wouldn't allow him to give up the driver's seat while others were around. If it had been just him and her, maybe he'd be willing to let her drive, but with Rosita and Denise around, not a chance unless she puked, and even then, she doubted very much he'd be willing to give up the wheel. She didn't mind too much, though, as they began down the road and she heard the gears screeching. While the truck did lurch quite a bit, the fresh air kept her stomach from roiling as she laid down in the bed of the truck.

They'd gotten through the better part of the town the strip mall was located in after an hour or so of travel. Ani sat up as the truck pulled to a stop, moving to stand to see what had caused their delay. Upon seeing the downed tree in the road, she quickly began thinking about the possibilities and brought the rifle she'd brought with her up as she double checked their surroundings. Daryl and Rosita got out of the cab, Daryl telling her to stay put for which he received a curt nod, before they began inspecting the area, both on high alert. Denise looked back at her, worry written all over her face to which Ani just smiled and nodded her head in an attempt at being reassuring. Ani watched as Daryl walked a little further into the woods and Rosita raised and subsequently lowered her machete, no doubt taking out a walker before she began checking it. Ani's eyes were like a hawks as she stared at Daryl's back until he turned back around deeming it safe enough after a short word from Rosita.

Rosita returned to the truck and opened the door, telling Denise, "Come on, it's clear."

Daryl came around to the back of the truck and helped Ani out before grabbing a pack and putting it on his shoulder, Ani doing the same with hers, as the twins jumped down and Denise asked Rosita, "What'd you find?"

"Bottles of booze. Any takers?"

"Can' 'til the baby's born," Ani said, smiling away even though she was losing the ability to do something; it wasn't like processed meats and cheeses or sushi were things she could say that about, so it was nice that she could say it about at least one thing.

"No thanks," was all Denise said.

"For later," Rosita clarified. "I'm not bringing these to the pantry."

"If it's high proof, ya should save it for medicine," Ani warned. "But if we can get what we need from the apothecary, I guess it won' matta much."

"I'm still good," Denise told her as she struggled to pull the map out of her bag. "They were kind of my parents' thing. Which is why they aren't mine."

Daryl walked up with Ani then, handing Rosita her back and stating, "This truck ain't gonna make it past this tree. Come on, let's walk."

"Hold up," Denise said, making both Daryl and Ani stop in their movement as Denise and Rosita stood on the train tracks that crossed the road. "Looks like a straight shot if we follow the tracks."

"No," Daryl said, remembering how the tracks had led them to Terminus. "No tracks. We'll take the road."

"That's twice as far," Rosita told him.

"Go whichever way you like," Daryl said, not wanting to risk Ania's safety on the tracks given their record with the damn things. He just wasn't willing to risk it as things had change since last time. Pulling Ania with him and motioning to the twins, he turned back around and began walking around the tree as he shot back, "I ain't takin' no tracks."

Ani didn't know what happened, but only Denise kept walking with them. Rosita apparently had decided to take the tracks rather than the road. Daryl was determined, though, and Ani couldn't blame the man for being cautious. While the tracks might be the shorter distance, there were way more things that could go wrong on tracks that cut through the countryside versus roads that littered by towns and shops. Even though it would seem like the risks would be the other way around, having a place to hide or hunker down was better than being stuck in the open with a horde or worse, more people and guns than they had themselves. Daryl kept a hold of her hand the entire time they walked, no one talking as Ani enjoyed the sound of nature around them, Daryl was on a rampage for a reason Ani couldn't quite figure out, and Denise was just as shy and awkward as always. While it was a decent walk, it was silent for the most part. The only time they talked was when Ani pointed out medicinal herbs in the wild to Denise, who then double checked her knowledge on what they did in a kind of pop quiz/review type way the two of them began on the fly.

When they reached the tracks in town, Rosita was sitting on a stone before she walked up, saying, "About time."

"Shut it," Ani said as he dragged her past the woman, the twins bounding on ahead only to stop every few yards to look back and make sure the quartet were still in sight.

The sun was starting its downward descent as they finally reached the apothecary. Ani had to admit that the sight was a bit gruesome as all the hand prints on the windows were obviously of dried blood. She couldn't tell if people had actually been trying to get in, if it had been walkers, or if it had been some sort of combination, but it certainly made the entire trip seem foreboding. To make matters worse, the apothecary was the only store with the hand prints on the window coverings. The rest of the stores were covered with what was to be expected as far as debris and filth. As Daryl released her hand, Ani took a shuttered breath while he walked up to the door and banged on it a couple times, both of their ears pricked to listen for any movement on the inside.

"Alright," he said as he handed Ania his gun. "Me and her," he told them, motioning to Rosita, "are gonna do this. You two are gonna stay back, got it?"

"I can help, D," Ani told him while crossing her arms.

"I know, but you're gonna stay back this time," he said as he pulled out his wrecking bar and pried the door open.

"Don' start coddlin' me jus' yet," Ani said with a smile, shaking her head as she moved behind him, letting Rosita take her spot so that the two of them could take the lead in clearing the store.

Ani held the door open as Daryl entered, then Rosita, followed by the twins. Denise entered next with Ani taking up the rear, the smell immediately causing Ani to retch while Denise gagged herself. Ani could practically feel Rosita's eye roll, but she couldn't help her sensitive nose. It seemed that pregnancy had made it even more sensitive, though, if she was being honest, the smell of all the rotten plants and dead animals would probably have made her puke nonetheless.

Daryl turned around and looked at Denise, not even caring that Ania had actually puked seeing as she was pregnant, and asked her, "We gonna find out what you had for breakfast?"

"Oatmeal," Denise answered honestly. "Just so you know."

"Booyah!" Ani exclaimed as she grabbed up a granite mortar and pestle. "Ya need more a these in the infirmary. Ya only got the one, plus me tiny one. Ya should grab up any granite or marble ones. They're a bit heavy, so we'll prolly have ta come back for more."

"Hey," Rosita called, her flashlight shining on the word pharmacy.

Daryl struggled with getting the door open with the wrecking bar, causing Ani to walk over and run her fingers along his shoulder. When he looked at her, she just told him that she could get it easier with a smile playing at her lips. He moved back as she pulled out her pins and worked on the lock, Daryl standing right beside her with his gun at the ready for if she got it open. She was holding onto the door when she looked back at him and nodded, hearing Denise talk from behind as she turned to look at Rosita and make sure she was ready.

"Do you want me to hold your bags, or...? Yeah."

Ani threw open the door and ducked down as Rosita and Daryl made sure it was clear. Thankfully, it looked as if the entire stock of the store was intact, the shelves still full of medicine. The two of them hopped up on the counter and over to the other side, Ani going to follow suit before Daryl stopped her.

"Why don't you look around, see what else is useful," he told her. "We got this."

"Alright," she said with a pout.

"Hey, it's just tight back here, that's all. If we need you, I'll tell you."

"I get it, D. They might have a few things we can use out 'ere. I can check the bottles and decanters. We can store pre-made antiseptics and tonics in 'em for quick dispersal."

"Alright, just be safe," he said, leaning over the counter to give her a quick kiss.

She heard Denise tell the two in the pharmacy, "If you set 'em on the counter, I can tell you which."

"Naw, we're gonna take it all," Daryl told her.

"Are you sure? Because-"

"No, it's fine," Rosita said. "You should help Ani."

"Don' need help! Keep a light in that pharmacy!" Ani pseudo-shouted across the store as she picked a few decanters that were empty and made of colored crystal; the different colors would make it easier to remember what was in them.

The three survivors stopped as they heard thudding sound from somewhere in the store, Ani quickly moving back to the pharmacy after the second thump. "It's just one," Rosita said before returning to the pharmacy, Ani nodding in agreement.

"It sounds like it's stuck," Daryl agreed, also going back to work.

Ani returned to the store, finding a few packages of bandages on the shelves as well as a few first aide items. Adding them all to her bag, she made sure to carefully tuck them around the decanters to prevent them from rattling too much on the return trip. She made sure not to make her pack too heavy as Dr. Carson had warned her about lifting too heavy of items. Essentially, if it was heavier than one of the twins, it was too heavy for her to lift, no matter how much she could lift. Ani was startled when the sound of breaking glass and other things hitting the ground reached her ears. Her light was up and looking for the source of the noise as it landed on Denise, both Rosita and Daryl back at the open door of the pharmacy.

"What the hell are you doing?" Rosita asked her.

"Nothing," Denise told her before heading outside.

"Ya don' gotta be a bitch, Rose," Ani said before heading outside to talk to Denise.

"What's wrong, Denny?"

"Nothing."

"It's somethin', hun. Talk ta me. Please?" Ani encouraged, sitting next to the woman who was leaning against one of the stone pillars between the stores.

"I'm not cut out for this. What was I thinking coming out here?"

"Ya were thinkin' ya wanted ta be helpful more'n jus' runnin' the infirmary. Ain' nothin' wrong with tryin' ta be helpful. Hell, ya brave as fuck comin' out 'ere even though ya've only seen 'em up close, ya neva fought 'em. Don' beat yaself up for bein' a novice amongst seasoned veterans."

Denise couldn't help the small smile that played on her face as she looked at Ani, "Why are you so nice to me?"

"Why did ya save me hair?"

"That's not...I just...It seemed important to you."

"Exactly, and ya are important ta me. Ya special, Denny."

"I'm nobody. I can't even kill a walker. I miss my brother. He was the one that could do all this stuff. He was the one that could survive, that should have survived," she said, looking at the key chain in her hand.

"Ya me best friend. That makes ya somethin'," Ani admitted, making Denise look at her in shock. "I ain' had many friends, and only one otha that cared 'nough 'bout me ta notice the small things and make 'em betta, like ya did with me losin' me hair. Ya jus' as kind, jus' as sweet, jus' as carin' as that woman was. And ya got jus' as big a heart. Ya been lookin' out for me since day one, and that means somethin' ta me. It's part a what makes ya special, the fact that ya care 'bout everyone. Neva think less a yaself jus' 'cause ya can' do somethin' right now. It's jus' right now, right? There's always lata. And, for what it's worth, I'm sure if ya brotha was 'ere, he'd be damn proud a ya for what ya've become, what ya've pushed yaself ta do."

"Thanks, Ani. You know, you're my best friend too," Denise told her with a small smile, wiping the tears from her eyes as she turned her head away from the door as Daryl and Rosita came out of the shop.

"Hey," Daryl said to get their attention, both of them looking at him. "You did good findin' this place," he told Denise as she wiped her face again.

"Tried to tell you you weren't ready," Rosita said. "We both did."

"Shut the fuck up, Rose! She wanted ta try! Why do ya gotta be such a bitch all the time?"

"I'm just telling her the truth. You'd think you would understand that."

"There's bein' honest and then there's bein' cruel. She don' need this shite right now. She's doin' 'er best. Jus' 'cause she ain' a fighta like ya doesn' mean ya can treat 'er like shite or like a child 'cause she freaks out!"

"It's alright, Ani. She's right. I know."

Ani gave Rosita a dirty look as the woman rolled her eyes and walked away, Denise pulling herself up to standing. Daryl walked up and offered Ani a hand, which she took as she stood herself. They walked in silence, Denise holding onto the keychain and fiddling with it every so often. Rosita had apparently decided that she was done talking to Ani as she forged ahead on the road. Daryl was holding onto Ani's hand as the kittens pranced along beside them, fanning out to include Denise as they moved to walk beside her.

"So was he older or younger?" Daryl asked, noticing her looking at the keychain yet again.

"Older," she responded quietly. "By six minutes. My parents came up with the Dennis/Denise thing on one of their benders. Hilarious, right? Nothing scared him. He was brave. He was angry, too. It's kind of a dangerous combination."

"Sounds like we had the same brother," Daryl told her. "Though he's changed to a certain point." They came upon the tracks again, Rosita continuing straight down the road as Daryl looked down the tracks, following them instead of the road.

"Hey," Rosita said as she noticed him pulling Ani down the tracks.

"This way's faster, right?" he reasoned.

Ani just smiled and let go of his hand moving to walk by his side, his arm coming up over her shoulders as they made their way back to Alexandria. He'd asked her if her pack was too heavy for her and she told him that it was fine. She'd double checked the weight and while it was a bit heavier than she was supposed to carry, she wasn't straining herself nor did she feel any discomfort, so she was fine to carry it. Ani did admit that she was getting tired, though, as they passed a couple cars that had been left on the side of the tracks. While she, Daryl and Rosita walked on, Denise must have stopped to look because they were called to a halt as she shouted at them.

"There's a cooler! Might be something we can use inside!"

"We got what we came for," Rosita told her.

"Naw, ain't worth the trouble, come on!" Daryl agreed, Ani just nodding her head in agreement seeing as she wanted to get home.

The three of them turned to continue down the tracks, not bothering to check if Denise was following. Given how she'd acted in the apothecary, none of them thought she would pull the stupid stunt she did. They heard her curses before they turned back around upon hearing her grunts, all three of them taking off in a dead run back towards her as they saw her struggling with a walker. They'd just managed to get around the cars with their knives out when the woman shouted at them yet again from her place on top of the walker.

"No, don't!" she yelled as she struggled to get a clean shot at the thing.

Daryl pulled Ani back as the woman fought to try to get to Denise. He and Rosita shared a look when Denise finally killed the walker, Ani's glare at the woman evident on her face. All three of them agreed that what the blonde woman had done had been absolutely reckless, especially when she opened the cooler to pull out beer and a single can of Crush Orange soda.

"Are ya fuckin' stupid, Denny?!"

Denise looked right at the three in front of her before bending over and puking before saying, "Oh man. I threw up on my glasses." She picked them up before heading over to the cooler now laying on the ground and opening it up. "Hot damn!" she exclaimed.

"What the hell was that?" Daryl asked angrily as he charged a few steps closer to her. "You could've died right there, you know that?"

"Yeah, I do," she told him defiantly.

"Are you hearin' me?" he asked.

"Seriously, are ya fuckin' stupid?" Ani repeated herself.

"Who gives a shit?!" Denise yelled back. "You could've died killing those Saviors. Ani could've died when she was taken! All three of you could have died! But you didn't! You wanna live you take chances! That's how it works. That's what I did."

"For a couple of damn sodas?" Daryl growled out.

"Nope," she said, walking past him and holding up the single can of Crush. "Just this one."

"I should a neva told 'er I'd bring 'er out all them weeks ago," Ani said with a shake of her head, Daryl and Rosita sharing a look before Rosita's temper got the best of her.

"Are you seriously that stupid?" she asked Denise as the woman marched down the tracks, Daryl pulling a shaking Ani with him and under his arm as they came to a stop, Ani standing in front of Denise as the three of them stood to reprimand her.

"Are you?" Denise retaliated. "I meant it. Are you? Do you have any clue what that was to me, what this whole thing is to me?" she asked the three of them. "See, I have training in this shit, some of it thanks to you!" she said, pointing at Ani. "I'm not making it up as I go along like with the stitches and the surgery and the..." gesturing with her hand, she left the rest of that sentence unsaid as she, Daryl, and Ani understood she was talking about Tara. Pointing to Ani she said, "I wanted you to come along because you knew what else to look for that I didn't and you don't like being cooped up." Turning to Daryl she said, "I asked you to come with me because you're brave like my brother and sometimes you actually make me feel safe. And I wanted you here because you're alone," she said, turning to Rosita. "Probably for the first time in your life and because you're stronger than you think you are which gives me hope that maybe I can be, too. Both you and Ani are." She stopped and looked around before admitting, "I could have gone with Tara. I could've told her I loved her. But I didn't because I was afraid. That's what's stupid. Not coming out here, not facing my shit. And it makes me sick that none of you are even trying because you're strong and you're smart and you're all really good people! And if you don't wake..." Ani watched in horror along with Daryl as a bolt suddenly protruded from Denise's eye as she tried to finish speaking, "and face your..."

"No! Denny!" Ani yelled as she and Daryl went to catch her as she fell.

Ani was on her knees with Denise's body as Daryl and Rosita raised their firearms, only for a voice to ring out from the woods, "You drop 'em now!" Looking up, she saw a blonde man with Daryl's crossbow holding onto Eugene as several other men with high-powered weaponry surrounded them. "Well, hell," the blonde one stated as Daryl moved to step in front of Ania as best he could while staring at him. "You got something to say to me?" he asked Daryl. "You gonna clear the air? Step up on that high horse?" he asked as Ani stood, coming to stand right behind Daryl as she realized this was the guy from the burnt forest. "No. You don't talk much." He gestured with his head to two of the other men, who came up and removed them of their items, before motioning to the crossbow in his hand, "Still getting the hang of her. Kicks like a bitch, but, uh-"

"I should've done it," Daryl said, cutting him off.

"Oh, what's that?" the man asked. "Seriously, I didn't catch what you said."

"I should've killed ya," Daryl repeated.

"Yeah, you probably should've," the man agreed. "So, here we are. Kinda begs the question, right? Who brought this on who? I mean, I get that you'll just have to take my word for this, but, she wasn't even the one I was aiming for. I was trying to tag that little thing you seem so determined to protect, make it easier to take her back. That the wife you were trying to get back to? Well, like I said, kicks like a bitch."

"You leave her out of this," Daryl growled, fully stepping in front of Ania as she bristled and began formulating a plan in her head.

"It's nothing personal," the man said. "Look, this isn't how we like to start new business arrangements, but you pricks kind of set the tone."

"Nah, ya pricks did, killin' a sixteen year old boy ta make a point. Killin' me friend jus' now, even if ya were aimin' for me. Ya dead," Ani growled out herself. "I'm gonna kill ya, jus' wait and see."

"And you are? I mean, I know you're the wife, but I do prefer using names."

"I don' feel like tellin' ya."

"Well, that's fine. We've been told about you, Titania. We'll get acquainted eventually," he told her, making her stiffen and immediately reach for Daryl, something he noticed.

"What do you want?" Rosita asked him.

"I'm sorry, darlin', I didn't catch your name either," he said, honest curiosity in his voice rather than charm. "I'm D, or Dwight. You can call me either. So? What's your name?"

"Rosita, what do you want?"

"Well, Rosita," he said, making sure to emphasize the accent like Rosita had herself. "It's not what I want. It's what you, Daryl, and his wife are gonna do. You're gonna let us into your little complex. It looks like it's just beautiful in there. And then you're gonna let us take whatever, and whoever we want, including Titania to take her back to her parents, or we blow Eugene's brains out."

"You can't have her!" Daryl said, one arm holding her to his back as best he could in an attempt to not only get her out of the line of sight but also to protect her; even Rosita moved closer to the pregnant woman.

"And then yours, and then hers, and then his," Dwight finished his threat, not bothering to even acknowledge Daryl's outburst. "I hope it doesn't come to that, really. Nobody else has to die. But I am taking Titania with me, and we are going back to your complex. One way or another. We try to only start with one. You know, maximum impact to get our point across. So what's it gonna be? You tell me?"

"You wanna kill someone," Eugene popped up suddenly, "you start with our companion hiding over there hiding behind the oil barrels. He's a first class a-hole and he deserves it so much more than us four. Especially with Ani's bun in the oven. She deserves it the least."

Dwight looked up at the woman hiding behind Daryl in surprise before turning to look at the oil barrels. Another gesture of his head and a command for the barrels to be checked out had several of the men moving with their guns up at the ready. Dwight himself unholstered his handgun, though he kept it down with the safety on. Ani was still shaking as Daryl held her to him, though the look on Eugene's face did not go unnoticed by her. She waited and watched, taking in everything she could as she waited for whatever it was that Eugene had planned. Him turning around and biting Dwight's penis with everything he had just before the sound of gunfire broke out.

Two of the men were immediately taken out with the gunfire. Ani pulled out the throwing knives she kept in her boots and took down another three as Daryl ran to one, taking his knife back and slitting the man's throat as the man shot into the trees. Picking up the man's gun, Daryl watched as Ani grabbed one up herself, opening fire and taking another two out in seconds. As he ran for cover, he yelled for her, Ani responding before ducking behind the car to land under him as he hovered there. The ensuing gunfight brought a lot of walkers out of the woods, both Daryl and Rosita firing at Dwight as often as they could. Ani was trying not to scream in anger as she tried to kill every man she could even as the men fell back, picking off another two as they moved through the trees.

She heard Daryl's gun click indicating the clip was empty. Almost in slow motion, she watched as Dwight raised his gun while Daryl was distracted. It was pure instinct that had her pushing him out of the way as Dwight squeezed the trigger, pain erupting in Ani's right shoulder as she fell on top of Daryl with a cry. He watched in horror as blood began to flow from the wound before anger erupted in him and he was carefully, but quickly, helping her to sit. Daryl ran forward and grabbed his bow, fully intent on following after and killing Dwight once and for all before Rosita stopped him. The kittens had been told to run and hide and only now were coming back out, Bobby following after the men as they ran before noticing he wasn't being followed.

"Daryl! Stop!" she told him, leaning over Eugene, who had been shot in the stomach.

He was half passed out from the pain and from being beaten up as Rosita put pressure on the bullet wound while Abraham tied a rag from Ani's bag around her shoulder as the kittens stood guard beside her. She assured them that she could walk until they got back to the truck, and for sure she did. They put Eugene in the truck bed with Rosita, Ani and Daryl climbing into the cab. Ani was still shaking as he wrapped her in his arms, Abraham taking the wheel. All she could do was apologize to him for messing up, for going out and taking Denise with her.

By the time they made it back to Alexandria, she was unconscious and even after Eugene woke up and received an apology from Abraham. Even hours later after he'd gone back to get Denise's body, polishing off several of the small bottles of liquor Rosita had brought back, Ani still hadn't woken up. He was in the middle of burying her when Carol walked up and began to help him, both worried about the woman in the infirmary who remained unconscious.

"You were right," Carol told him. "I knew it when you said it."

Daryl didn't say anything until Merle came to the infirmary later that night, sitting with him and Ani as she slept. "You gonna say somethin' or you just gonna keep drinkin'?"

"Piss off."

"Dammit, Daryl, she needs ya now more'n ever," Merle tried to reason. "Don't pussy out on her now."

"Man, I already did!" Daryl blew up, the liquor and anger getting the better of him. "If I'd've just done it, if I'd've killed them people out in them woods, none of this would have happened today! Denise would still be alive! Ania! Ania...she wouldn't be layin' there! I wouldn't be wonderin' if I still got a wife and a baby! I did that! That's on me! If I'd've just done it! If I...If I..."

Merle gathered Daryl up in his arms in a brotherly hug, something he hadn't done to the boy since he was still wet behind the ears. Daryl broke down in his brother's arms, the weight of everything, of his choice, of Ania's condition, hitting him harder than he wanted to admit. It was his fault, both of them. He should have killed that man in the woods. He should have fought against Ania and Denise going with them. They might not have had any casualties if it had been just the two of them. Ania definitely wouldn't be lying in bed unconscious now. This was all his fault as he moved from his brothers arms to draping over Ania's prone form, holding her as best as he could without hurting her, simply crying as Merle held onto his shoulder and said a little prayer, hoping Ani would wake up sooner rather than later.